Fabrication of gold micro- and nanostructures by photolithographic exposure of thiol-stabilized gold nanoparticles.

Exposure of thiol-stabilized gold nanoparticles supported on silicon wafers to UV light leads to oxidation of the thiol molecules and coagulation of the nanoparticles, forming densified structures that are resistant to removal by solvent exposure. Unoxidized particles may, in contrast, readily be removed leaving gold structures behind at the surface. This process provides a convenient and simple route for the fabrication of gold structures with dimensions ranging from micrometers to nanometers. The use of masks enables micrometer-scale structures to be fabricated rapidly. Exposure of nanoparticles to light from a near-field scanning optical microscope (NSOM) leads to the formation of gold nanowires. The dimensions of these nanowires depend on the method of preparation of the film: for spin-cast films, a width of 200 nm was achieved. However, this was reduced significantly, to 60 nm, for Langmuir-Schaeffer films.